$500K+ in 3 Months: The ROI Behind Manufacturer's Salesforce Commerce Cloud Implementation

Armor Express is a leading manufacturer and distributor of custom-sized and highly configurable body armor products and protective solutions.

Challenge

Armor Express had a basic customer portal, which lacked two-way functionality and customization options. They needed a solution that could provide a better online experience for their customers and offer transparency into order timelines for their custom-sized body armor.

The key project goals were to:

• Improve online experience for Distributor customers
• Create more accurate and streamlined data internally
• Consolidate sales-related activities into one platform
• Enable e-commerce purchases for direct Agency and Individual customers

Solution

Armor Express partnered with FortéNext to create a new e-commerce solution that allows their customers to easily find, configure, and order their custom-sized body armor products. Salesforce Commerce was the ideal platform for this project. Armor Express had an existing Salesforce CRM and wanted to streamline operations by integrating it with the new ecommerce solution, thus minimizing the number of systems their personnel had to work in.

Key deliverables

FortéNext built the GearUp platform, a customized e-commerce solution that streamlines ordering of configurable body armor and frees up internal resources for essential business tasks.

Personalized experience‍

• Registration flow based on a selected customer group, multi-level account-based pricing structure.

Easy product configuration

• Product catalog that enables users to customize each product from available options, compare similar products, validate product sizing and features.

Optimized checkout

• User-friendly checkout process with steps tailored to business needs, various shipping options based on account buyer group.

Self-service for order information

• Customers have access to up-to-date information about order status, expected shipping dates, and up to 10 data points per SKU.

Integration & synchronization

• Synchronization of essential commerce data with Sage ERP (via Greytrix), integration with Avalara for tax calculation.

Results & added value

GearUp has empowered Armor Express customers with robust self-service capabilities, allowing them to easily access comprehensive order information and track orders in real time. While improving experience for Distributors, the system extends support to pre-approved Agency and Individual customers purchasing directly from Armor Express.

This flexibility enables Armor Express to serve customers located in regions where they lack a strong distribution network, expanding their reach, offering capabilities that competitors do not, and contributing to an increase in overall revenue.

Internal teams gained a unified platform, streamlining processes, reducing resource requirements, and minimizing manual work. This transformation also revolutionized marketing efforts by replacing outdated catalogs with dynamic, up-to-date product information.

• $500K+ in revenue from direct customers over 3 months
• Enabled support for direct customers
• Streamlined ordering of custom-sized products
• One system to manage all sales activities
• Improved operational & marketing efficiency
• Daily-updated order & fulfillment info
• Eliminated need to produce catalogs
• 100% up-to-date product information

Feedback

“FortéNext has a great team of knowledgeable, customer-focused people.

"We greatly appreciate their help in achieving the goals of our original SOW, as well as the ongoing support they've provided in maintaining and enhancing our system through an ongoing Managed Services partnership.

"They have consistently identified solutions to overcome any challenges that arise and do their part to keep projects on time/budget targets."

- Mike Eyre, Marketing Director at Armor Express